BHUBANESWAR: Fly ash utilization in the state has left a lot to be desired as only half of the total fly ash generated was utilized in 2010-11.

According to information provided by state energy minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak in the state assembly, 27 coal-based power plants generated 21.18 million tonnes of fly ash and bottom ash in the last fiscal.

Only 10.68 million tonnes of this fly ash could be utilized, meaning a utilization of 50.42 per cent.

While fly ash utilization for some of the industrial units was as high as 99 per cent, for others, it has been disappointingly low.

For Vedanta Aluminium Ltd’s captive power plant (CPP) located within the company’s alumina refinery complex at Lanjigarh, the fly ash utilization is abysmally low at 15.2 per cent.

The 75 MW CPP generated 220,593 tonnes of fly ash and 28,841 tonnes of bottom ash in 2010-11 of which only 38,000 tonnes of ash could be utilized.

In case of 420 MW coal-fired power plant of Orissa Power Generation Corporation Ltd (OPGC) situated at Banharpali near Jharsuguda, the extent of fly ash utilization was only 27.66 per cent.

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